(The Center Square) – North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis called for expulsions and deportations. Reps. Virginia Foxx and Richard Hudson sought accountability.
And U.S. Rep. Kathy Manning, born to Jewish parents in Michigan just over 67 years ago about a decade after the Holocaust, offered words of encouragement as the Middle Eastern war between Hamas and Israel ignited conflict in the United States.
Some of North Carolina’s congressional delegation responded Monday through social media to the surge of war-related protests on college campuses throughout the country. It was most notable but certainly not contained to the Ivy League’s Columbia University at 116th and Broadway in New York City and Yale University in New Haven, Conn.
Manning, D-N.C., released a 68-second video on social media in the afternoon. In her Passover message, she said, “Today, we are living through incredibly difficult times for the Jewish people once again, with the conflict in Israel, with the dramatic rise of antisemitism across this country, on college campuses, and around the world.”
She told her audience, “I hope we will take a moment to think about how far we have come and the extraordinary history, values, culture and contributions to the world the Jewish people have made.”
Others offered blessings to those celebrating the Passover, which – in the United States – began at sundown Monday and ends after nightfall on April 30. Passover is a significant Jewish holiday celebration of the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
Tillis, a second-term Republican, in mid-afternoon retweeted and commented on a post that a “pro-terror mob” at the University of Michigan “is distributing flyers that read ‘Freedom for Palestine means Death to America.'” Photos of people under a banner reading “Encampment for Gaza! Divest now!” and the flyer were on the tweet for which the senior senator responded.
Tillis wrote in reposting, “Any foreign student spreading this kind of terrorist rhetoric should be deported. Any American student spreading this kind of terrorist rhetoric should be expelled and transfer to the University of Tehran where they belong.”
In 1979, the University of Tehran was the site of dissident students killed leading up to the revolution of Iran. It is known for political action and ideology.
Foxx, a 10-term Republican, on Monday afternoon reposted House Speaker Mike Johnson saying, “This week, as millions of Jews commemorate Jewish freedom worldwide, we’re reminded of the fight against antisemitism today. We must continue to support Israel, our Jewish brothers and sisters, and their right to safely practice Judaism.”
Foxx on Sunday, as chairwoman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, penned a letter to Columbia President Dr. Minouche Shafik and trustees co-chairwoman Claire Shipman and co-chairman David Greenwald. In it, she wrote that Columbia is “failing to deliver” on commitments, and that “Jewish students are being harassed, assaulted, threatened, and intimidated to the point where they are departing campus for safer environments.”
She also wrote, “The students, faculty, and staff responsible for this mayhem, including members of the groups Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, Columbia University Apartheid Divest, and Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, repeatedly and flagrantly have violated multiple university rules, and in many cases, federal law. The university must decisively hold them accountable in a manner commensurate with the severity of their offenses, including expulsion and termination of employment.”
Hudson, a first-term Republican, showed a sign of alignment with Foxx’s letter. On social media he wrote, “This antisemitic hate spewing across Columbia University by pro-Hamas protestors is disgusting. The university’s leadership should immediately take action to stop these attacks on Jewish students or resign.”
U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., late in the day wrote on social media, “What is happening at Columbia University is beyond disgraceful. Worse yet, President Biden will not directly call out the disgusting antisemitism merely to appease his base.
“Democrats must denounce and rid themselves of the anti-Semitic ideology poisoning their party.”
In state, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson on Friday wrote on social media, “The rising tide of antisemitism that has seeped into our universities nationwide is completely intolerable. It’s appalling to witness institutions like Columbia University, which should be beacons of learning and inclusivity, becoming hotbeds for such divisive hatred.
“Our educational institutions, from the ivied halls of Harvard to the classrooms of local elementary schools, should foster environments of respectful dialogue and mutual understanding, not perpetuate biases and ignite racial tensions. It’s crucial that we address this issue head-on and steer our academic communities towards a path that builds up our next generation, not tears them down with hatred.”
